JP2002-219570A, published by the Japan Patent Office in 2002, discloses a strut type shock absorber having a knuckle bracket fixed by welding onto a cylindrical outer shell.
The knuckle bracket comprises a curved portion having an arc-shaped cross-section and positioned in close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the outer shell and a pair of fixing plates projecting laterally in parallel with each other from two circumferential ends of the curved portion. Both axial ends of the curved portion are welded onto the outer shell.
So-called vertical downward welding is applied for the welding, during which the outer shell is retained in a substantially horizontal state, and a torch of an electric-arc welding machine is directed obliquely downward from above to a welding position corresponding to an apex of the circular cross-section of the outer shell. The welding is performed in this state while rotating the outer shell about its center axis.